Tie plate



Ptete'd Aug. 115,' 1944 Application November 2, 1942, Serlal No. 464,229.

' 1 claim.. (ci. 238-299) This invention relates to' tie plates, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which will provide safe and efficient securing of a rail on a. wooden tie without driving spikes or like fasteners into the top facel of the tie/'and thereby subjecting the tie to splitting or cracking from the top face thereof inwardlyr and thus eliminate the 'entrance of water o`r weather -elements tending to rot or otherwise deterorate the tie, consequently increasing the life of the tie materially.

Another object of the inventionis the provision of a device of the above-stated character which will provide a solid and even seat for the rail and will prevent lateral creeping thereof which eliminates the danger of rail spreading and accidents incident thereto and includes fasteners whichare road rail and 6 a fragmentary portion of a wooden p tie employed for-the support and anchoring of the rail. It has been the customary practice to secure the rail 5 on the tie 6 b-v driving spiles or similar fasteners into the top face of the tire and intoengagement with the base of the rail. This mode of securing the rail to the tie subjects the latter to having the top face split or cracked whence water and othenweather elements may readily enter the tie and subject the same to rotting or other deterioration, naturally shorten- -ingthe lifeof the. tie and requiring the replacesimple to install and remove and which will posit-ively secure the rail on the device against displacement.

with these and other objects in lview as win.

become 'more 'apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination*ad'iarrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed. J

i For a complete understanding of my invention,

reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view illusmy invention, and showing the application thereof to a rail and a 'wooden tie.

Figure 2 is fan end elevation, partly in section, of the device applied to a wooden tie and supporting and' securing a rail on the tie.

Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in section showing the device in applied position.`

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the device removed and minus the securing keys' Figure 5 is a fragmentary top'plan view vshowing the present invention applied to a tie and gadapted to rail at their abutting ends and constructed to accommodate the usual fish plates for detachably connecting the adjacent ends of the rails. Figura 6 is device illustrated in Flgure 5 adapted to a tie and the' adjacent ends of the rails.

Figure 'I is a. transverse sectional view showing -the device accommodating the fish plates. V

w Figure 8 is a. perspective view illustrating one of the keys.

Referring m detali to the drawing, the'nu- I meral I lndicates a fragmentary portion of a railan end elevation showing the type of trating a tie'piate constructed in accordance with l ment thereof by another within a short ,period of time causing considerable expense as Well as labor.

Through the use of the present invention, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, an efiicient seat for the rail on the tie is-provided and an effective securing means of vthe device to'the tie as well as to the rail whence the top face of the tie will be free of having spikes or similar devices driven therein.

A tie plate 'I is provided which may straddle the tie, as shown in Figure 2, with the rail resting Vthereon and includes a top plate 8 and depending side prtionsflf'each cut away, as shown at III, to

-reduce the use of material and provide a pair of attaching ears' apertured, as ,at to permit spikes |2 to pass therethrough and be driven into opposite Vertical faces of the tie well below the top face of the tie. lI-'rior to driving the spikes I! into the tie by way of the openings H, pointed metallic bearing strips 3 may be driven into the tie for the spikes |2, to engage and provide solid bearing surfaces for the spikes to press against when being driven into the tie and during the period of the use of the device.

It is preferable that the spikes be shaped, as shown in Figure 2, so that when being driven into .thevtie'and against the walls of the openings lil of the tie plate they will have a camming action resulting in tight wedging of the spikes in place.`

The ldepending portions 9 ofl the tie plate 1 engaging opposite Vertical walls of the tie and being anchored to thelatter through the use of spikes 'will prevent'the tie plate from shifting endwise of the tie.

plate on Rthe tie. The tines being located on the under face of the top platel and biting into. the top face of the tie, will lnot admit water into W the tie due to the tie plate resting flatly Vor evenly upon the top face of the tie over where the tines bite into the tie.

Flat parallel spaced ribs IS are formed on the top face of the wall 8 of the tie plate and form by contacting opposite edges of the base which will prevent the rail from shifting laterally on the tle plate and the tie.

Integra] with the ribs I and arranged opposite to each other are ears IG provided with openings I'I. The thickness of the ears IG is much less than the width of the ribs I5 and extending transversely of the ribs I5 and base are parallel ribs IO, the spaces therebetween aligning with the openings I'I.` The top wall 8 of the tie plate is provided with openings I9 aligning with the openlngs I'I and the spaces between the ribs IS. Substantially L-shaped keys are employed for securing the rail on the tie plate with the base of the rai1 positioned between the ribs I5 by said keys passing through the openings I'I to overlie the top'faces of the base of the rail with'the opposite angularly disposed ends of the keys seating with a wedglng fit into the openings |9 of the tie plate. The keys being of L shape are formed each with a shank 2I and a laterally extending head 22. The head 22 tapers toward its free end so that when driven into the openings I! of the tie plate,`it will have a Wedging action tapers on one face thereof, as shown at 23, to engage with the top face of the base of the rail.

The keys when applied, as shown in Figure 3, will effectively secure the base of the rail resting evenly on the tie plate between the ribs I5 against rising upwardly. The heads of the keys wedging into the openings |9 willprevent endwise shifting of the keys and the keys are prevented from rising upwardly so as to displace the heads from the openings Iil by the shanks of the keys wedging in the openings I'l of the ears IB. Any lateral shifting of the keys is further prevented by the ribs IB.

Thus it will be seen that the tie plate may be thereto against displacement and will provide an efilcient seat for the rail and when the keys are applied to the base of the rail with the base resting between the ribs |5 of theitie plate, the rail will be prevented'f-rom/shifting laterally. The

the ribs 25 thereof have opposing faces stepped, as shown in Figure 7, to Vform seats 25 and 21.

therebetween a seat for the base of the rail 5' with the walls of the openings I9. The shankv i frequently employed in connection with the mainl easily and quickly installed on antie iand/secufiedvfi top face of the tie, consequently eliminating The seats with the-top face of the tie plate 24 form a bearing surface for the bases of abutting rails and the seats 21 accommodate the fish plates 28 employed for couplig together the adjacent ends of the rails. The ribs 25 are other- Wise constructed in accordance with the ribs I5 to receive the keys 20 which in this instance engage and partly overlie the fish plates; holding them firml'y in seated position between the ribs 25 and consequently firmly securlng the bases of the rails on the tie plate.

The keys 2Il when employed in the modified form of the invention have beveled faces 29 and the beveled faces 23 are omitted.

Either form of my invention heretofore described and shown' in the drawings may be slightly modified for accommodating a guard rail rails of a track by increasing the length of the tie plate and duplicatng the seats vand fastening -m`eans thereon. When the device is used in conjunction with rails and their guard rails, misplacement of either kind of rails will be prevented and will permit the rails to be easily and quickly secured in place on a tie without mutilating and damaging the top face of the tie and subject'mg the tie to cracking inwardly from the top face.

While -I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be un-` the top plate to engage opposite faces of the tie and each provided with openings and a cutout extending from a point below said top plate and opening outwardly through the lower .edge of the depending`poVrtionLspikes driven into the tie by way of the openingsfpointed metallic strips driven in the tie by way of the openings and engaged by'the spikes during the latter's movement into' the tle, ribs formed on the top plate transversely thereof and extending the full width of said plate and receiving a base of a rail therebetween, upstanding fianges formed on the ribs and provided with openings, spaced ribs formed on the first-named ribs and the flanges and extending transversely of the flrst-named ribs for the full width of the latter, said top plate having openings adjacent the second-named ribs, and Lshaped-keys wedged in the openings of the top plate and lying between the spaced ribs and having a tight fit therewith and extending through the openings of the fianges with a tight frictional fitfltherewith and engaging over the base of the ra ERNEST L. KIDD. 

